Refrigeration



Oct. 1o, 1944. A, c. SHUART 2,360,286

REFRIGERATION Filed July l0, 1942 2 Sheet-Sheet l INVENTo UCL 1Q, 1944. A c. sHuART Y2,360,286

REFRIGERATION Filed July 1o. 1942 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Oct. 10, 1944 Arthur c. shum, Evansville;

Ind., assignor to v Servei, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware A Application July 10, 1942, Serial No. 450,399

(Cl. (i2-108.5)

10' Claims.

This invention. relates to refrigeration and more particularly to an ice tray and grid used for' freezing small blocks or cubes of ice in a domestic refrigerator.

An object of this invention is to provide, in an ice tray, an improved grid by which ice may be removed quickly and efliciently. A further object is to provide a thoroughly reliable and efficient grid for an ice tray which is mainly non-metallic and which is free of the objectionable characteristics and features normally associated with grids of this character. other objects will be in part obvious pointedout below.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top view of a invention in an ice tray';

and in part grid embodying the Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on line ,2-2 in Figure 1;

. Figurel is an elevation of a division member forming part of the center wall of the grid;

Figure 4 is. an elevation of a transverse division member forming part of the grid;

Figure 5 is an elevation of a division member forming an end of thel center wall of the grid;

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the grid in a tray, with the tray and part of the handle broken away showing an operative position .of the handle;

Figure '7 is a detail section taken on line 'I'I in Figure 6 l Figure 8 is a detail section taken on line Il-B in Figure 7; and,

Figure 9 is a view like that of Figure 6 showing a diiferent position in operation of the grid.

Referring particularly to Figure 1 of the drawings, a tray I0 has therein a grid structure indicated at I2 formed by a plurality of identical transverse division members or webs I3 and (see Figure 2) aA longitudinal or center wall, indi- These and cated at I4, which is in the form of an articuf lated backbone or center wall. This grid divides the space within the tray. into a plurality of A cells II, each side of the center Wall. At the ends of center wall I ,Lare end members or segments I6 and'lland positioned between these end segments are several identical wall segments 2l.

Webs I3 and Wall segments I6, I8, and 20' arey vall made of a sheet form of a transparent synthetic plastic, illustratively polystyrene, whlclLis a. soft coal derivative. These various members may be cut from sheets'of the material, or they may be formed directly by extrusion.

Webs I3 are of the shape shown in Figure 4,

there being a row of these cells on' which extend two holes 21.

nosed/hook 28 on one side and a recess 30 at the other side, and with a small round hole 32 and a horizontally extending slot 34 at the top. In Figure 5 are shown the details of the end member I6 which has at its left side a hook 28 andat the top a rectangular projection 38 which projects in the same direction as hook 28. In the top of end wall I6 is a small round hole 4U, and belowthis hole is a slot 34 similar to the s`lots`in'segments 20. The right-hand edge 44 of end member I 6 has substaiitially the same slope as the end wall of tray I0, and along this edge is a small rectangular notch 46. End member I8 is similar to end member I6 but (see Figure 2) is provided with a recess 30 and a hole 32 similarA to the corresponding portions of segments 20; the end member is also provided with a projection 38, a hole 40, and a notch 48, theI same as is end member I6.

When assembled, webs I3 and the elements of the center wall interi-it in the manner shown in Figure 2, With each `of hooks 28 extending through the slot 24 in the adjacent web I3, with the round end of the hook tting into a recess 30 in the next wall portion, and with the hook snugly receiving the web'at the top of the slot. Each of rectangular projections 38 on the. two-end members I6 and I8 extends over the adjacent web and along the top of the adjacent wall segment. Extending along the two sides of the bot-tom of the center Wall are two springY rods 52, illustratively'of spring steel, which extend upward at the ends along the' edges of the end members I6 and I8. At each end these two rods are connected by a sheet metal clip 5I) which extends through the notch 46 in the end member, with the ends of the clip enclosing and clamping the ends of the rods. These rods exert forces againstl the end members and are adapted to be arched or bowed, as shown in Figure '9, by bending moments applied to the ends of the grid; upon releaseV of the forces causing the bending moments, the rods return to their original form. Rods 52 extend through and are snugly received by holes 21 in the web members I3, with the bosses 26 reenforcing the webs about thev holes.

Across the top of each of webs I3, and on opposite sides of the center wall, are two members.

. web I3 and have a ypivcted at the left f Figure 1, when the hides most of lever strips (see Fig. 8) are connected at one end to a center wall segment 20 by a rivet 56 fastened in a hole `32, and loosely linked at the other end to the next adjacent ce" ter wall section by a rivet 58 which is slidable in a short slot 34. The strips 54 lie in the notch 22 in the top of the hooked part projecting downward over the side of the web is hooked to the wall portion at the left. l

Extending along the top of the center wall in nested relationship are two channel levers 60 and 62, with the outer channel-lever -60 being on a rivet 6I extending through hole Il in end member/J8, and with lever 62 pivoted at the right on a rivet -66 carried by a hole 40 in endmember I6. As shown in .leversfare nested, lever 60 62, but lever 62 extends to the left at 68 where lever 60 is cut away. At the left-hand end, lever 60 carries a pin 'III (see also Figure 9), and leverl 62 is provided with a latch portion 12 which, as shown in Figure 6, is

adapted to interengage with pin 10. Thus, when lever 60 is raised to the position of Figure 6, lever 62 falls to the position shown, and when lever 60 is then moved downward, tops of the two end membersapart, bending moments are exerted upon thek two end members I6 and I6, with the result that the backbone or center wall is arched to the position shown in Figure 9. f

tending to push theA of the web so that the top l fitting therein and As pointed out abov each of hooks 28 is hooked to the center portion ofthe adjacent web I3, thereby holding the center ofthe web to the right-hand segment web is held against the left-hand wall segment 20 by the hooked strips 5I. Furthermore, the top of each wall segment 2li is loosely linkedto the top of the next wall segment by the strips 54 which permit limited separating movement due to the fact that rivets 56 may slide in slots 3-4. Thus, when the bending moments are exerted upon the tops of the two end members I6 and I6, the top of each web I3 is pulled to the left a limited distance which is the length of slot 34, while the center portion of the web is pulled to the right; thus, the web is flexed in the manner shown in-Flg\1re ice has been 4frozen in the tray prior to the applying of the bending moments tothe end members, it to the position of Figure 9 will draw each wall segment away froml the adjacent wall segment and`will flex the transverse web and this action separates the ice from the tray and from the walls of the grid. At each juncture of one wall segment with the next, the hook portion 28 is interpolated between two portions ofthe next1 wall segment and the exing action pulls the hook portion away so that shearing stresses are set up tending to break the cubes in the adjacent compartments lII from the longitudinal wall.

It will be obvious to those-skilled in the art that changes in the disclosed construction, operation, and arrangement may be made without departing from my inventive concept and, therefore, while I have shown and described herein with more or less particularity one embodiment of my'invention, it is to be expressly understood that the invention is not ment orotherwise than by the 4terms of the aippended claims.

20, and the top of the 9. vAssuming that 50 will be seen that the arching of the grid limited t0 that embOd- I claim:

1. An ice tray and grid structure comprising a tray adapted to hold water, and a grid assembly fitting therein including an articulated plastic backbone structureformed by a number of wall segments in alignment with the segments meeting to form joints in the backbone structure, a. plurality of plastic unitary transverse fins positioned with one fin intersecting the backbone structure at each of the joints, each of said joints including hook means upon one of the adjacent wall segments engaging the transverse 'member at substantially its center, and a hooked member connected to the other adjacent wall segment and engaging the top of the transverse member.

2. An ice tray and grid combination comprising a tray to hold water, and a grid assembly deiining ice compartments, said grid assembly including a plurality of plastic transverse members, a longitudinal wall structure formed of a plurality of plastic wall segments all in interlocking relationship, said segments being in substantial alignment to form the longitudinal wall with the transverse members intersecting thelongitudinal Wall where the wall segments meet, each of said wall segments -excepting the two end segments being thereby positioned between two transverse members, and a hooked member connected to each of said wall segments except one end segment and engaging the top of one of the transverse members, each of said wall segments except the other end segment ,having a hooked portion engaging a transverse member at a point spaced from the'top thereof. 1

3. An ice tray and grid combination comprising a tray to hold water, and a grid assembly fitting therein and defining ice compartments, said grid assembly including a plurality of transverse members ofQ plastic material and a -longitudinal wall structure formed of a plurality cf wall segments of plasticmaterial and all in interlockingv relationship, said wall segments being in substantial alignment to form the longitudinal wall with the transverse members intersecting the longitudinal wall where the 'wall segments meet, and metallic means at each of said transverse members forming a latching enside of it having an integral portion forming a latching engagement with the central portion of the .wall segment.

f1. An ice tray and grid combination comprising a tray to hold water, and a distortable grid assembly iittingY therein and defining ice compartments, said grid assembly including a plurality of transverse members of plastic material and a longitudinal wall structure formed ofl a plurality of wall segments of plastic material and all in interlocking relationship, said wall segments being in substantial alignment to form the longitudinal wall with the transverse members intersecting the longitudinal wall where the wall segments meet, said wall segments' being adapted to have limited longitudinal relative movement at the top thereof, and at each line where two wall'segments meet there being a flexing means, each of said flexing means comprising multiple hook means to' engage a transverse member to thereby become effective when the-two wall segments are moved relative to eachother to bend and distort the transverse member;

5. The combination with/a freezing tray, of a grid including a longitudinal wall structure and a plurality of individual transverse members of plastic material, said longitudinal wall structure comprising a plurality of wall segments of plastic material and in substantial alignment with exible joints between the segments and with a transverse member positioned at each joint and cooperating with the other elements to form the joint, and hook means each joint comprising a pair of hook-links extending across the top of the transverse member with one end of the pair of links pivoted to one wall segment and with the other end of the pair of links attached to the other wall segment by a pin-andslot attachment and with the hook-links hooked overv and extended down along one side of the transverse member whereby the top of the transverseA member is held againstone of the wall segments and limited movement is permitted between the top of the transverse member and the other wall segment, and the joint including means to hold the lower portion of the transverse member against the other 'wall segment.

6. An ice tray and grid structure comprising a tray adapted to hold water, and a grid as' sembly tting therein including an articulated backbone structure formed of a number of wall segments of plastic material and in alignment, and a plurality of unitary transverse webs of plastic material and positioned so that one web intersects the backbone structure where each wall segment meets another wall segment, each of said transverse webs having a cut-away portion in alignment with the backbone structure and one orlthe adjacent Wall `segments being cut away adjacent the cut-away portion of the transverse web while the other adjacent wall segment has an integral wall portion extended through the'cut-away portion of the transverse web and into the cut-away portion of the rstmentioned adjacent wall segment, whereby the second-mentioned adjacent wall segment has a portion interpolated between two portions of the first-mentioned Wall segment.

7. An ice tray and grid structure comprising a tray adapted to hold water, and a grid as-4 sembly fitting therein including an articulated backbone structure formed of a number of wall segments of plastic material and in alignment, and a plurality of unitary transverse Webs of plastic ernaterial and positioned so that one web meets another wall segment a portion of the one wall segment interpolated between two portions of the other wall segment.

8. An ice tray and grid structure comprising a tray adapted to hold Water, and a grid assembly tting therein including an articulated backbone structure formed of a number of wall segments of plastic material and in alignment, and a plurality of unitary transverse webs of plastic material and positioned so that one web intersects the backbone structure where each wall segment meetsanother wall segment, there being at each place Where two wall segments meet a portion of one wall segment which projects beyond the transverse web and into a recessed portion of the other wall segment so that between each two transverse webs the backbone structure is formed by two separate wall segments which are in alignment and have the same surface planes.

9. The combination with a freezing tray, of a distortable grid having walls of plastic material and including a plurality of individual transverse members and a longitudinal -Wall structure formed of a. plurality of wall segments, said wall segments being in substantial alignment withxjoints therebetween and with a transverse member intersecting said longitudinal wall at each joint, resilient means at the bottom of the longitudinal wall structure to hold the segments together, and means` to distort tha grid to free the ice, each transverse member beingheld 'at the top against one of the adjacentlwall segments and held at a lower portion against the other' adjacent wall segment, the distortion of the grid tending to separate the top of` each wall segment from the top of said other adjacent wall segment.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein said resilient means comprises a pair of spring rods, and a notch is provided in the wall segment at each' end of the longitudinal wall structure, and a clip releasably vpositioned within each of said notches and rigidly attached to the adjacent ends of said `spring rods.

ARTHUR C. SHUART. 

